A passion and profession combine to help others

Konane Martinez’s path to becoming a medical anthropologist started with an interest in archaeology and then moved to the field of cultural anthropology before a pivotal experience studying in Oaxaca, Mexico, in the 1990s moved her to her final focus.

“While at Humboldt State, I completed a bachelor’s degree in 1995 with majors in Spanish and anthropology. My experience studying Spanish in Oaxaca made it clear to me that I wanted to return to continue my research,” she says. “While in Oaxaca, a local doctor took me to a local village with a high rate of out-migration, and I spent the day talking to female heads-of-households about their lives and the challenges they faced with their husbands and sons gone. This project laid the foundation for my graduate work with Oaxacan indigenous communities that have migrated in large numbers since the 1990s.”

For nearly 20 years, she’s continued this work, examining how immigrant and border communities navigate health and social service agencies in the state. She’s a founding member of the Farmworker CARE Coalition, which includes more than 40 agencies that work to improve the health and lives of farmworkers and their families. This past November, she was also appointed to the California Office of Binational Border Health advisory group, which works to improve health care through building better communication and coordination between health officials and professionals in California and Mexico.

Martinez, 46, lives in San Marcos with her 8-year-old son, Sebastian, and took some time to discuss her work, her appointment to the binational border health advisory group, and the satisfaction she experiences being able to join her professional work with her activism.

Q: What is critical medical anthropology?

A: It’s an analytical/theoretical framework within medical anthropology that emphasizes how the economy and politics strongly determine health and the provision of health care. My research examines how immigrant health is shaped by the political and economic system here in the United States, and how inequity and racism hinders their access to quality health care.

Q: How were you introduced to the California Office of Binational Border Health ?

A: In 2002, while I was working at the National Latino Research Center, I conducted research on border health after receiving a grant from The California Endowment, a health care foundation. The research allowed me to get to know the various federal, state and nonprofit agencies that focus on border health. I published a report on the research in 2003 that received the attention of state Sen. Denise Ducheny, who was advocating for continuing funding of the binational border health office at the state legislature. I was invited to present my report in support of the office at a senate hearing in Sacramento.

Q: Why did you want to work with them?

A: My interest in becoming a member of the office’s advisory board lies in my passion for health equity and in closing the gaps in access to health care for border residents. I truly value my colleagues in border health and, based upon my research experience, I strongly feel that binational cooperation is key. I also hope that my perspective from North County can be a contribution to the creation of border and binational projects.

What I love about San Marcos ...

I moved to San Marcos a year ago and finally feel like I live in a true community. This is where I work, live and my son goes to school. Being able to find shopping, dining and activities right around my neighborhood is the best!

Q: What are your responsibilities as a member of the advisory group?

A: The advisory group meets quarterly to receive updates on the work of the office and on pressing issues in border health. We also work in partnership with the office toward achieving the their goals, which include assessing and monitoring border and binational health issues; building the capacity to effectively address public health issues specific to these communities; increasing awareness of those health issues and the role of the binational border health office in addressing them; and promoting greater communication, coordination and collaboration on those issues and policies.

Q: The advisory group also develops and manages a plan for the office, and advises on critical issues facing the U.S.-Mexico border region? What are those critical issues?

A: The office’s border priority issues include chronic and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and obesity. They also work on issues such as health care access and immunizations as well as are responsive to emerging issues health issues the Zika and West Nile viruses.

Q: You helped lead an effort to mitigate the effects of the 2007 wildfires on farmworkers? What were the effects of the fires on this communities, and what did you and the Farmworker CARE coalition do to mitigate these effects?

A: Farmworkers and migrants faced pronounced barriers during evacuations and in receiving assistance both during and after the fires: Farmworkers continued to work in evacuated areas, they were intimidated and turned away from resources available to other evacuees, and farmworkers who lost their homes lacked insurance or finances to rebuild. It became immediately clear to me and my colleagues at the National Latino Research Center, and our community partners, that the coalition needed to become involved in ensuring equitable access for all residents in San Diego during disasters.

Following the fires, the coalition worked to facilitate access to food and water for evacuees and farmworkers that had lost work. As a coalition, we were able to leverage funds to provide emergency housing to farmworkers as well as rental assistance. We collaborated with the American Red Cross and the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services to develop our own skills and capacity to respond to disasters. Our coalition has developed an incident command structure that will allow us to respond in times of emergency. We also facilitated farmworker community leaders receiving training in first aid and CPR, becoming American Red Cross volunteers, and promoting civil rights during a disaster. One farmworker community developed their own community emergency response team in collaboration with a local fire department.

Q: Why is it important to you to focus on issues like border health, farmworker health and vulnerable communities?

A: As a researcher and lifetime activist, I have seen firsthand how farmworker and migrant communities have been overlooked and hidden within our region. I have built powerful relationships over the past 20 years with farmworker and Oaxacan indigenous communities whose stories I feel need to be heard and understood.

Q: What’s been challenging about your work?

A: The shifting and tense political environment and overall anti-immigrant climate in the border region, and in the U.S. as a whole, makes changing the environment in which farmworkers live and work very challenging.

Q: What’s been rewarding about this work?

A: It is extremely rewarding see positive change come about in local farmworker communities as a result of our work. Watching community residents emerge as leaders as a result of our projects is in and of itself a major reward of the work.

Q: What has it taught you about yourself?

A: That connecting with people must come from a genuine place inside.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Do what you love.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: I’m actually a native San Diegan. And I’m not Hawaiian, only my first name is!

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: The one thing that keeps me here is the beach. I can literally spend the entire day there. Enjoying the sun, surf and sunset is my idea of an ideal day in San Diego. My son and I also love going to cultural festivals and experiencing new cuisine.